


Show Me Something I Can Overcome

by CitrusVanille



Series: Nightmares [2]
Category: McFly
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-17
Updated: 2008-10-17
Packaged: 2019-03-01 12:44:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13295151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CitrusVanille/pseuds/CitrusVanille
Summary: It's the scream that wakes Harry up, and he struggles for what feels like forever with his blankets before he tumbles out of his bunk, half-awake and panicking.





	Show Me Something I Can Overcome

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Sweeney Todd.

It’s the scream that wakes Harry up, and he struggles for what feels like forever with his blankets before he tumbles out of his bunk, half-awake and panicking. Because that was Dougie, and Dougie does not scream like that – like he’s fucking terrified. Even the ghost-hunting trip didn’t make Dougie scream like that, and he’d been pretty damn scared then.

Danny’s crouched by Dougie’s bunk, and Tom has already crawled inside – Harry can see one of his feet and hear his voice saying, “Dougie– Doug, wake up. Wake up, Dougie.”

Harry makes a move to pull back the curtain, to join Tom in there, to let Dougie know they’re all here if he needs them, but Danny stands up and blocks him, shakes his head ‘no’ – points at the bunk and mouths _Tom said stay._

There’s a moment where all Harry can hear is thrashing inside the bunk, then a sharp gasp, and Tom saying, “It’s okay. It’s okay, Doug, it was just a nightmare, you’re okay. It’s okay, I’m here,” then a soft sound that might be muffled sobbing.

Harry looks at Danny, who keeps looking between Harry and the curtain blocking Dougie’s bunk like he’s not entirely sure what he should do – like he wants to help, but he doesn’t want to push his way in when Tom said not to. Harry has no clue, either, so they just stand there, both of them shifting awkwardly.

“Shh, shh,” Tom’s murmuring, and it doesn’t sound like he’s trying to get Dougie to stop crying, or quiet down, he’s just comforting. Harry suddenly thinks of the way his mother used to hold and rock him when he was little, cradling his head and rubbing his back until he was calm enough to breathe properly. The way Harry held Izzy when her grandfather died, and all she could do was cry.

“It was – they were trying to – they wanted –” Dougie’s words are gasped and broken, like he’s trying to force them out between sobs.

“You don’t have to –” Tom’s voice is so soft Harry almost can’t hear him – isn’t sure why he needs to hear him, but Danny’s inching forward, too, so.

“I couldn’t stop them,” Dougie’s still trying to talk, seems almost desperate, “I couldn’t – he held me – and they – and you were – I couldn’t – you were hurt – they were hurting you – and I couldn’t make them stop.”

Harry meets Danny’s eyes – as wide as his own feel – and he suddenly feels wrong about listening to this, but he can’t seem to stop, can’t seem to make himself just walk away, go up to the front of the bus and crash on the couch.

“Dougie, Dougie, shh, it’s okay. I’m fine,” Tom’s voice is low, soothing, and Harry feels more awkward by the second. “I’m here, no one hurt me. It’s okay.”

“So real,” Dougie says, and there’s the sound of sniffing.

“I know, baby, I know. But it’s over now, okay?” And Harry’s not quite sure what to make of that, because he’s never heard Tom use any kind of endearment before. Danny’s looking at him again, and he looks startled as well, which really makes sense, because it’s Tom calling someone ‘baby’ – it’s Tom calling _Dougie_ ‘baby’ – and if that’s not bizarre Harry doesn’t know what is.

“I won’t let them,” Dougie says, and his voice is stronger than it has been since Tom woke him up – fierce, and that’s almost as odd as Tom using pet names. “I won’t let them hurt you.”

“I know you won’t,” and Tom doesn’t sound placating, he sounds like he has every faith in Dougie’s ability to protect him from whatever it was that scared him half to death in his nightmare.

There’s the sound of rustling, and Tom’s foot vanishes from outside the curtain.

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you,” Dougie’s voice is softer now, but just as determined. “Not even him – not even my dad. They can’t. I won’t let them.”

Danny hisses through his teeth, and Harry suddenly knows they need to move, _now_. It’s not like anyone could have expected Dougie’s screaming _not_ to wake them up, but. It’s so obviously private, and Harry feels wrong staying here, like a spy, or a voyeur.

He grabs Danny by the wrist and tugs him out of the bunks. Up front he shoves the first DVD he finds into the player, keeping the volume low enough that they won’t disturb anyone. He and Danny don’t speak, just exchange a final quick look before they both focus on the movie.

Harry’s still not entirely sure what he thinks – isn’t sure he wants to know what exactly Dougie was dreaming about, or how often he must have had these dreams for Tom to be able to handle it so well – but he thinks whatever it is, it will be okay. Somehow. So he lets the movie wash over him, lull him back to sleep, and Tom’s voice saying, “I know, baby, I know you won’t. And I won’t let them hurt you,” continues to echo in his ears.


End file.
